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Looks like Celtic advance. Get beat 6-1, advance because an ineligible player was on the field for 4 minutes!

It's very silly. Can't UEFA let a team know if a player is ineligible beforehand. And they clearly didn't receive any benefit from the breaking of the rule. Why don't they give them one of those nothing fines like they do for having racist fans and let them go on? Soccer bureaucrats are the worst.

Morgan Schneiderlin is not "mentally fit" to play in Soton's friendly tomorrow against Leverkusen. Sounds like he's on strike to try to force his move to Spurs. Again, very weird to be on the other side of one of these.

Looks like Barcelona finally bought an actual central defender. I remember him putting Andy Carroll in his back pocket the one time both guys were healthy to play against each other. He's injury-prone and has poor positioning but its a real CB!

Nice to see Arsenal take a hard line with ManU and send Vermaelen overseas.

Well, Barca paid over the odds which I think may have had something to do with it.

What does HE know, anyway.

It's a tough one. Is it better for Yedlin to play every week in MLS or to go to Spurs and fight for a spot in the 11? There seem to be these two Conventional Wisdoms about how a player gets the best out themselves that seems at complete odds with each other. I don't think we'll know just how good Yedlin is unless he takes a shot in Europe and while he's young, he's not that soccer young. Why not go for it? And, unlike Jozy going to Sunderland which I think we all saw as a terrible spot for him, Spurs with Pochettino as a manager seems an ideal spot. He won't have the pressure of being an immediate starter and Pochettino has a great reputation for nurturing defenders. Anyway, the rumor has gone quiet after all the reports yesterday. We shall see.

Spurs with Pochettino as a manager seems an ideal spot. He won't have the pressure of being an immediate starter and Pochettino has a great reputation for nurturing defenders

Unless they loan him out. Does the player have any control over where he is loaned? Could there be something in the contract that says he can be loaned to, say, Italy, or a Championship team, but not Greece or Poland or something?

I mean, you'd think Spurs would want to send him somewhere that will bring him along, not bury him somewhere, I get that, I'm just wondering if historically the player has any refusal rights over loans.

Does the player have any control over where he is loaned? Could there be something in the contract that says he can be loaned to, say, Italy, or a Championship team, but not Greece or Poland or something?

A player can't be moved against his will, so they can say no to any loan, and it's not particularly uncommon for them to want to stay and fight for their place.

"Not uncommon" - so can I infer from that statement that there is no stigma attached to a refusal? No reputation for being a lousy team player or anything?

Not really talking about Yedlin, I'm just interested. I've always wondered how much "influence" the player has about these things. Can they request a loan, like they request a trade? And while I'm on that topic, is requesting (or demanding) a trade/transfer (or loan, if possible) any more or less binding than such a declaration in, say, the NFL?

And while I'm on that topic, is requesting (or demanding) a trade/transfer (or loan, if possible) any more or less binding than such a declaration in, say, the NFL?

I believe some contracts have a "loyalty bonus" clause. That money is forfeited if a player hands in an official transfer request. That said, the main leverage players have when trying to force a transfer seems to be refusing to train. Similar to the NFL, I suppose.

PSG's anticipated stroll to the French title gets off to a meh start at Reims, where the home side holds them to a 2-2 draw.

Zlatan scored both PSG goal, but also missed a penalty earned by his own dive), while PSG's "world class" defense looked as if they weren't fully back from vacation. Reims cleared two shots off the line in injury time.

Zlatan scored both PSG goal, but also missed a penalty earned by his own dive), while PSG's "world class" defense looked as if they weren't fully back from vacation. Reims cleared two shots off the line in injury time.

A pair of friends were there, and were highly entertained.

My main takeaway was that Zlatan's back tattoos look like something a drunk 3-year old would be proud of.

More Spurs news, and potentially big news is that. The rumor is the stadium construction will start very soon and be scheduled for completion for the 2016/17 season. 61K seats and Spurs will play the 2015/16 season at Milton Keynes. Plenty of room for all the American Outlaws to come watch the American Gareth Bale...

Yes, MK is a strange choice. It only holds 30,000 and isn't easily accessible by public transport (which is how the majority of Spurs fans get to WHL). And that's before you get to its association with the dreaded franchise. I have a feeling that this is going to run for a while.

I don't think wembley is a goer because it's limited to a certain number of events. Supposedly the dons stadium is designed to expand to 45 k in seating. No idea about public transport. The club would have to arrange a fleet of coaches or something. Too bad the OS isn't available. These are just strong rumors at this point. The spurs board does seem friendly with the dons, unfortunately. Not as bad as associating with dictators and such but pretty close!

Dunno, Shooty. I think your sources may be a bit off. They are only now expanding MK from 22,000 in order to host three Rugby World Cup matches in October 2015. Another 15k seems highly unlikely, especially as Franchise has never drawn more than 10k on average or sold out the current capacity. Then there's the question of what Spurs would do during the Rugby World Cup. Methinks this is typical MK boosterism at work.

09.20 BST Atletico Madrid are hoping to lure Roberto Soldado away from White Hart Lane on loan, but Tottenham are reluctant to let the Spanish striker leave as they already have a lack of options in attack.

The 29-year-old signed for Spurs last summer for a then club-record fee of 26 million pounds but failed to establish himself in North London, losing his place in the starting lineup during the second half of the campaign.

New coach Mauricio Pochettino is hopeful that he can conjure the best form out of Soldado but The Daily Telegraph says Tottenham are prepared to listen to offers and could be tempted to sell.

I wouldn't take this stuff too seriously. Soldado looked good again today and I think he fits Pochettino's system better than Bony. Spurs are going to do a lot of quick, intricate one touch passing in and around the box and Soldado is much better at that than Bony. Also, I've never seen a guy working so hard for a place in a squad than Lewis Holtby. I'm pretty sure he would have killed a man today if necessary. I think he's made the team. This new central Aaron Lennon is very interesting, too. I think we'll see infinite more through balls from Spurs this year than last year when we saw approximately zero. Eric Dier had a very nice debut, too. He looked very strong and composed.

Fun game here with Bastia and OM at 3-3 late. Hard not to root for Makalele as coach, regardless of one's feelings about Chelsea (or RM). Bielsa's reign at OM will be at reality show levels of unreality.

More Spurs news, and potentially big news is that. The rumor is the stadium construction will start very soon and be scheduled for completion for the 2016/17 season. 61K seats and Spurs will play the 2015/16 season at Milton Keynes. Plenty of room for all the American Outlaws to come watch the American Gareth Bale...

Concerning the new stadium, I took the WHL tour on Tuesday and the tour guide said that the plan right now is to build a three stand stadium behind the current stadium. They would open the stadium like that while they tear down the old stadium to give them room for the final side. She said that the new stadium would cut into the area where the stands currently are. She said they weren't sure exactly how this would all be accomplished, but this is currently the plan being discussed. Take it for what it's worth.

Meaningful matches being played in the Scottish second tier, which is one of the more intriguing leagues in Europe this year, given that it includes Ranger, Hearts, and Hibs. Yesterday, Hibs' keeper scored with a huge punt, while today Rangers thought that they had secured a home draw against Hearts with an injury time goal only for Hearts to get one of their own to win.

I've been watching Euro soccer (mostly EPL) for three years now, so I think it's time I latch onto a team for real. I've narrowed it down to the following.

Arsenal - Wenger's zipper, Alexi Sanchez, enjoy Wilshere when healthy. In London so I'm probably more likely to see them in person than a team outside of London. active Philly community. Loathe Chelsea, so a good rivalry and my cousins have latched onto chelsea, so we could have a natural rivalry there. Decent chance to win title each season. Zelalem? Downside, I'm not a fan of the crest.

Man City - two titles since I started watching, really enjoyed watching them during the first title. Kind of cooled on them as I realize they were essentially the free spending Dodgers to United's Yankees. I hate United, so the rivalry is good. Really like Zabaleta, Aguero and Silva.

So Sean, don't root for Crystal Palace. I'm a huge fan of little parks and Selhurst looks perfect (I've never been there myself). Come to think of it, there is another small park London team in the EPL, again. But can anyone truly root for 'arry, Glen Hoddle or no?

Uh oh. Looks like we need another emergency gathering of the P.A.B.S.T. (Pick anybody but Spurs Tribunal.) Still plenty of room on the Liverpool train Sean. Attractive soccer, Red Sox ties, distinguished fans such as Keith, Scott, and myself, cannibal free squad this season, you can't go wrong.

Keith I enjoyed that BVB match a lot. Dortmund was not playing their main guys, but when Sturridge is healthy I think Liverpool are going to be lethal even without Suarez. The problem is what happens if Sturridge isn't available. I agree that they have to pick up another striker. Lovren looked really good, Rodgers has been harping on lack of leadership at the back for a while. Lovren appears to be good at that role. I've seen wildly differing opinions of Lovren's ability, but he does seem to be an organizer which is much needed.

Fingers crossed on Manquillo too. He looked really good. I read something about Manquillo that might explain the strange two year loan. Supposedly Barcelona may have first option on him. I'm guessing Liverpool paid a substantial loan fee and will revisit how to get around the first option again in two years. If Moreno also comes in, I would be very happy with the pair of them as fullbacks.

To decide I'm going to watch as many head to head matchups and see who I'm pulling for in each one.

We'd love to have you onboard, of course. And, hey, White Hart Lane is a proper, small London stadium. And remember, latching onto a Sky 4 team is the equivalent of becoming a Yankees fan. Are you ready for the burden of self-entitlement?

Congrats to MCoA for the continued good work in the WaPo.

Hoo boy, you pissed off the Crystal Palace fans! I still like Palace, though, strictly through their tenuous connection to the history of paleontology.

I guess that I'm just old, but I would never have put WHL in that category. Fulham, Brentford, and Leyton Orient are all better candidates. WHL is really only small compared to the Emirates, which is a thing onto itself.

I've been watching Euro soccer (mostly EPL) for three years now, so I think it's time I latch onto a team for real. I've narrowed it down to the following.

I have been watching for a couple of years now and have decided to root for West Ham. Probably won't see much success but my sister's amateur genealogy studies have determined that at least some of our ancestors came from the East Ham area. So, go Hammers.

Kyle Walker is out until September, it looks like, and since he ended the year injured I imagine it will take him a while to get match fit. I'm not sure if this means Spurs will try to bring Yedlin in now or not. I suspect not, but it seems more of a possibility than it did yesterday.

When people ask me this question I always recommend Spurs, Everton, Newcastle or Aston Villa. I think those are the 4 teams on the outside looking in that COULD, if things go very right, upset the apple cart but are also big enough that they're easy to follow and are involved in lots of fun transfer stuff, etc and can also make it into Europe reasonably often and have good Cup runs while relegation isn't likely (not impossible, of course!). Obviously Villa are on hard times but there's no reason to think they can't rebound once Lerner sells the club. I don't recommend storied clubs that might get relegated--Sunderland, West Ham, Wolves, Blackburn--because it's just damn near possible to follow a club in the Championship from America and I think that would kill the interest of most New Fans. I just feel lucky that my wife was a Spurs fan and I met her just when I was catching the soccer bug.

Well if you choose Man U, you can't be accused of front-running, at least this season.

Ownership is such a crapshoot. FSG made some bad rookie mistakes. As loathed as the Glazers are, they did let SAF do whatever he wanted and are printing money hand over fist. A new Villa owner might be good for the team or it might turn into Venky's at Blackburn or Khan at Fulham.

Do you plan on following your team alongside fellow fans? Do you fancy taking in non game media? You might scout supporters(groups, sites, writers) as well as the team. Squads change, the people you commiserate with will still be there(maybe).

As a kid I received a Sheffield Utd keepers jersey from someone rotating off the ~local oil rig. It may have been more popular pretending to be Patrick Roy or Vincent Damphousse but just try kicking a football past Alan Kelly Jr in two feet of snow! Impressed with the shirts similarity to the scales of Puff the Magic Dragon my teacher adopted a passing interest in the club. This was probably the first time I thought someone was high. It's nice that there's a prolific FM player/writer who supports the club.

Carlo Tavecchio, the 71 year old bureaucrat who made headlines with his reference to African players as "banana eaters" and claim to have been persecuted "worse than the guy who shot Kennedy" has been elected as the new president of the Italian FA with 63% of the vote.

I don't recommend storied clubs that might get relegated--Sunderland, West Ham, Wolves, Blackburn--because it's just damn near possible to follow a club in the Championship from America

FWIW, while it's damn near impossible to see live games, I've been pleasantly surprised that following Torquay United down to the Conference has not been too terribly difficult (so far). They do have a "live gameday"-type thing on the club website you can follow. Of course, there's not really a lot of big media covering the team (I haven't tried yet to find local papers that would have stories), but I'm at least able to see what they're up to.

What's amazing to me in following the team is that--to me--it seems like not a lot of $ would be required to help get some of these teams up and into, say, League 1 or the Championship... In the sense that you think of the barrier of entry to own one of the "Big 4" teams here in the USA is probably at least $250 million or so (though maybe some of the smaller NHL clubs would go for less than that). My guess is that if you were a rich American, $20-$30 million or so would allow you to own any number of League 2 or Conference sides and give them a pretty decent war chest for wages/transfers, and that if you hired decent people to run the team, developed a good youth system, etc. in probably 3-5 years you'd be knocking on the door of the Championship and maybe even better if things broke right.

In any case, Torquay lost their opener, and it'll likely be years before they sniff League 2 again, but maybe there's a glorious FA cup run in their future...

FWIW, while it's damn near impossible to see live games, I've been pleasantly surprised that following Torquay United down to the Conference has not been too terribly difficult (so far). They do have a "live gameday"-type thing on the club website you can follow. Of course, there's not really a lot of big media covering the team (I haven't tried yet to find local papers that would have stories), but I'm at least able to see what they're up to.

Sure, it can be done. It's not easy following Partick Thistle! I'm just not going to recommend that kind of thing as the rest of the world tend not be as obsessive compulsive as we are around here.

Premier League predictions for posterity. Boo to Shooty and others who wait until the window closes!

The bottom half of the table looks so incredibly bad to me that I'm barely even going to bother to think about them. Sorry to any fans of those teams! Also in my mind Sunderland was relegated last year, but the internet tells me that's not the case. We'll see.

Chelsea fanboy here (hey they chose me, not the other way around. I had no idea who they were when they beat Bayern Munich in Champions League 2 years ago and I was just getting into soccer) but we are one Costa injury from having the corpse of Torres, old man Drogba and Patrick Bamford as our strikers.

Such a drop that the Football League might want to pilot that new "Championship Plus" Division. Would be an interesting "field" bet to wager any of those 8-20 break into the top seven this year. What would be the odds?

Premier League clubs are to start using the database belonging to the computer game Football Manager to help identify and recruit new signings.

Sports Interactive, the creator of the best-selling game, will begin feeding its extensive information into Prozone Recruiter, an online analysis platform which many of the top clubs use to scout new talent.

Biographical, contractual and positional information compiled by SI over two decades will be incorporated into the Prozone tool, which provides player data and archived video footage of tens of thousands of players from across the world.

“Prozone Recruiter has been built to supplement the intuition of scouts and coaches by delivering detailed performance information on over 80,000 players worldwide,” says Prozone’s CEO Thomas Schmider. “The Sports Interactive database is a highly accurate and valuable resource that will further enhance the recruitment services that we provide. The integration of Sports Interactive data further establishes Recruiter as the most comprehensive recruitment and asset management platform available.”

We've got actual bonafide cup-raising first division football today, and I don't mean Shrewsbury hosting Blackpool in the "Capital One Cup." Dumb question, does Di Maria playing against Sevilla today cup-tie him in any way? Slightly less dumb question: Does having Mark Clattenburg as referee diminish the importance of the already diminished "UEFA Supercup"? Or is it diminished? I had to look it up to find out who won it last year.

Also somewhat tangential to proceedings in Cardiff, I admire the definitive statement made by Ancelotti in letting Diego Lopez go, and Navas was spectacular in La Liga last year, but, I dunno. We'll see.

I'm pretty sure that the SuperCup does not cup tie di Maria. It's always been a pretty silly match, and seems to only becoming more so. Even when it had more relevance due to the limitations on entry to the European Cup and the resultant higher quality of UEFA Cup winners, it was a glorified friendly.

Next year's SuperCup is in Tblissi, fact fans.

I'm not at all sure that Diego Lopez was Ancelloti's choice, as opposed to Florentino's. Milan have lucked into the best keeper that they have had for yo is, but the rest of the team is still quite poor.